📰 Rising with Purpose: Mónica Pirela on Recognition, Impact, and the Power of Community Journalism 

In recent weeks, 2025 Altavoz Lab fellow Mónica Pirela, founder of NotiVisión Georgia, has earned national recognition for her relentless commitment to investigative reporting and local storytelling, affirming that she is a powerful force in community journalism. Pirela has not only secured a prestigious Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) seed grant to expand her investigative work, but has also received two Emmy nominations and a major journalism award for her reporting: 

• One Emmy nomination in the Politics/Government/Crime/Justice category for “Crisis en las aulas: Georgia aprueba la ley SB123 para frenar el ausentismo crónico,” (“Crisis in the classroom: Georgia approves SB123 law to stop chronic absenteeism”) 
• One Emmy nomination in the News Feature – Single Report category for “Infancias fragmentadas: el trauma oculto de los niños por la deportación” (“Fragmented childhoods: The hidden trauma of deportation among children”)  
• Ruben Salazar Award for her impactful report, “Morir en prisión: el riesgo de las cárceles en Georgia,” (“Dying in Prison: The Risks of Georgia’s Prison System”) an investigation examining the deaths of Latino inmates and the lack of oversight in Georgia’s prison system. 

These accolades underscore a growing recognition of the vital role her newsroom plays in amplifying underreported stories across Georgia. In our conversation with Pirela, she reflects on the meaning behind these honors, the responsibility they carry, and how they are shaping the next chapter of her work. NotiVisión Georgia was awarded a $24,000 grant as part of more than $345,000 distributed by the Community Foundation of Central Georgia this year. The grant will allow NotiVisión Georgia to expand its outreach and resources for Spanish-speaking residents in Central Georgia.

Q&A with Mónica Pirela

Congratulations on winning the Ruben Salazar Award for “Morir en prisión” (“Dying in prison”). What does this recognition mean to you, and what impact do you hope this story will continue to have?

Winning the Ruben Salazar Award was a wonderful surprise and an immense blessing. It is deeply satisfying to see national organizations value the work we carry out — with so much effort — from our coverage area in middle Georgia. For us, this award is a reminder that, even though investigative journalism is a titanic challenge in these times, it is worth it.

My colleague Rafael Navarro and I are proud to use journalism as a real tool to bring visibility to the crises our community is facing. We hope that “Morir en prisión” will inspire other colleagues and, above all, open doors for us with organizations that support this kind of work. Our goal is to continue being the voice of those who need solutions and to use our platform to generate tangible change.

You recently received a grant for investigative journalism. How do you think this support will influence the stories you want to tell next?

This support is essential to elevating the quality and reach of our work. As an independent outlet focused on counties like Macon-Bibb, Houston, and Peach, we often face resource limitations when it comes to digging deeper into complex issues.

This grant will allow us to dedicate the time and serious analysis that our community deserves. It gives us the freedom to go beyond the surface and thoroughly investigate realities that affect the state of Georgia, ensuring that each story provides unique value and not just generic content. It is the push we needed to continue proving that local journalism can have a global impact.

How has your experience as an Altavoz Lab fellow influenced your growth as a journalist and your connection with the community you cover, particularly through your Altavoz Lab project, “Esclavos con visa: el fraude detrás del programa H-2A en los campos de Georgia” / “Slaves with Visas: The Fraud Behind the H-2A Program in Georgia’s Fields”)? 

Being part of Altavoz Lab has been an incredibly rewarding experience. It is an organization that understands the real challenges we face and values the human and professional cost of doing community journalism today.

This experience has allowed me to build even stronger ties with our audience. It has provided us with tools to better serve the community, delivering critical information in their language and resources that can truly transform their lives. I feel grateful because Altavoz reaffirms our mission: to ensure that our community feels supported, heard, and–above all–empowered, through accurate information.

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